This invention relates to electrical interface arrangements which are suitable for use with apparatus for testing circuits formed as flat boards. It is becoming increasingly common to make electrical circuits in a form which is generally termed a printed circuit board, which comprises an insulating lamina with conductive tracks formed on one or both of its outer surfaces. The circuit components, such as resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc., which are electrically interconnected by means of these conductive tracks are generally mounted on only one side of the insulating lamina. Circuit boards of this kind can be very complex indeed, and special techniques are needed to thoroughly test them after manufacture to ensure that the interconnections have been correctly made, that the components are not defective, and that the circuit operates correctly in the intended manner.
One of the problems which arises in testing a printed circuit board is that of making electrical connection to predetermined locations of it in a reliable and consistent manner, and it is usually necessary to employ a special electrical interface between the test equipment and the circuit under test. The electrical interface includes a two dimensional array of contact points positioned in a predetermined pattern so that they touch, and make electrical connection with, specified locations of the conductive tracks carried by the circuit board. The electrical interface arrangement is not usually permanently attached to the test equipment, but it is instead usual to link it via a detachable electrical connector, such as a plug and socket arrangement, and the position of the connector is generally dictated by the nature of the test equipment itself. It is necessary to provide a network of electrical interconnections between the connector and the electrical contact points. This network of the electrical interconnections can be very complex, and will usually comprise a large number of individual wire leads linking particular electrical contact points to specified terminals on the connector. Since the nature of these interconnections and the position of the electrical contacts within the two dimensional array is dictated by the circuit board to be tested, it is generally necessary to produce a network of interconnections which is unique to that circuit board. Thus, when a circuit board carrying a new circuit is to be tested, it is first necessary to manufacture an appropriate electrical interface arrangement, and in view of the complexity this can be time consuming, expensive and liable to error. The present invention seeks to provide an electrical interface arrangement in which this difficulty is reduced.